Category: N
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Nandrolone
An anabolic steroid which builds muscle. Its use is banned by the International Amateur Athletics Federation. Androgen used to treat testosterone deficiency, breast cancer in women, and osteoporosis; it also stimulates growth and weight gain. Adverse effects include liver toxicity, electrolyte imbalance, and endocrine disturbances. A synthetic male sex hormone with effects and uses similar…
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Nail matrix
The internal structure of the nail, the part of the finger from which the nail grows.
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Nail biting
The obsessive chewing of the fingernails, usually a sign of stress. A common practice in schoolchildren, most of whom gradually give it up as they approach adolescence. It is a harmless sign of tension or insecurity, so should not be ridiculed or punished but rather the cause dealt with, if possible. An anxious behavior in…
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Nail avulsion
The act of pulling away an ingrowing toenail.
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Nail
A hard growth, made of keratin, which forms on the top surface at the end of each finger and toe. Flattened, horny structure, made of keratin from epidermis, at the end of each finger and toe. Each nail is composed of a root, body, and free edge. The root fits into a groove in the…
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Nagging pain
A dull, continuous throbbing pain.
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Naegele rule
A method used to determine when a pregnant woman is likely to go into labour, in which nine months and seven days are added to the date on which her last period started. If the woman does not have a 28-day menstrual cycle, an adjustment is made: e.g., if she has a 26-day cycle you…
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Nabothian cyst
A cyst which forms in the cervix of the uterus when the ducts in the cervical glands are blocked. Usually benign cyst that forms in the Nabothian glands of the cervix of the uterus. A cyst caused by closure of the ducts of the nabothian glands in the uterine cervix as a result of chronic…
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Nursing differential
A differential (8½ percent of routine inpatient nursing salary costs) added to the costs of such services to reflect the supposedly above average costs of providing routine inpatient nursing care to Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare reimburses hospitals more by this amount for nursing services than do other insurance programs which cover the general population. There has…
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Nursing care
Care Intended to assist an individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. This includes assisting patients an carrying out therapeutic plans initiated by physicians and other health professionals…